The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Ivory Yoeugene.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a mutation induction breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the program is to create new Chrysanthemum cultivars with desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, good substance, and excellent post-production longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yoeugene, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,917, to X-ray radiation in September, 1997, in Fort Myers, Fla. Following the radiation treatment, the cuttings were rooted and terminal apices were removed (pinched) three times to promote lateral branch development. After lateral branches from the third pinch reached sufficient size, terminal cuttings were harvested, planted and flowered in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within this population in March, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and ray floret color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttings harvested in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Ivory Yoeugene has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Ivory Yoeugenexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Ivory Yoeugenexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching, dense and full plants.
3. Dark green foliage.
4. Uniform flowering.
5. Early flowering, eight-week response time.
6. Freely flowering; about six inflorescences per lateral stem.
7. Daisy-type inflorescences that are about 7.6 cm in diameter.
8. Ivory-colored ray florets and bright yellow disc florets.
9. Excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences and leaves maintaining good substance and color for about three or four weeks in an interior environment.
Compared to plants of the parent cultivar, Yoeugene, ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are ivory in color whereas ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yoeugene are rose pink in color. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one or two days later than plants of the cultivar Yoeugene.